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The San Diego Padres have looked resurgent lately. After losing consecutive series to the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers, the Friars reeled off a quick series victory against the Atlanta Braves. But, despite winning the series in just two games, each win was a battle.

San Diego reeled off a 1-0 victory against Atlanta in the series opener. They did so on the backs of a Manny Machado solo shot and Michael King’s seven scoreless innings. Last night, the club battled back from a four-run deficit in the second inning to win the game, 7-6, in extras. 

The Padres have finally shown some fight after floundering for the last few weeks. They’ll need to keep that momentum in order to sweep Atlanta tonight, and to face the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in their upcoming series.

Taking the mound

Martín Pérez (ATL) v. JP Sears (SD)

The former Padre was picked up on a minor league deal with the Braves, and was called up after injuries plagued Atlanta’s rotation. Pérez has surged with the Braves, posting a career-best 2.78 ERA through 68 innings.

But Pérez has struggled a bit recently. He’s still been good (3.27 ERA in last seven starts), but it hasn’t been the same dominance displayed in the start of the season.

Sears, on the other hand, has yet to find a groove at the big-league level. The lefty was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move after starter Lucas Giolito hit the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation.

He hasn’t posted great numbers in the minors this season (7.92 ERA, 63.2 IP), but it’s important to remember that the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate plays in the Pacific Coast League. The PCL is known for its hitter-friendly environs, which has certainly affected Sears. It’s impossible to say how he’ll fare tonight against Atlanta because of that. 

Batter up!

After struggling to score in a major way, the offense has finally clicked. The club has scored 30 runs in their last six games. Their approach at the plate looks much more lively than it has in a while, and it’s working for them.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
2. Samad Taylor, RF
3. Jackson Merrill, CF
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Gavin Sheets, LF
6. Xander Bogaerts, SS
7. Ty France, 1B
8. Miguel Andujar, DH
9. Freddy Fermin, C

Fermin was activated yesterday after being on concussion protocol for the last week. Blake Hunt was sent back down to Triple-A in a corresponding move. He’ll likely start in order to give Rodolfo Durán a day off.

The stars have finally started raking for San Diego. Machado, Merrill and Tatis have looked like themselves at the plate again. It’s proved that the Padres will go as far as that trio can take them. 

Relief corps

Starter Griffin Canning had Wandy Peralta as an opener in Tuesday night’s game. Peralta pitched a fantastic first inning before giving way to Canning. Unfortunately, the strategy didn’t work nearly as well as it did in Canning’s last start. The righty lasted only 2/3 of an inning before being lifted for the bullpen. He gave up four runs to the Braves in the process. 

Because of that, it became an impromptu bullpen game. Thanks to King’s gem on Monday, the relief corps was ready for the task. Kyle Hart and Yuki Matsui covered two-plus innings apiece. David Morgan and Adrian Morejon pitched a perfect seventh and eighth. Mason Miller followed it up with two no-hit innings to put San Diego in position to walk it off. 

The only problem is that now puts pressure on Sears to perform tonight. The bullpen is depleted, with just Jason Adam and Ron Marinaccio immediately available. Morejon and Morgan could pitch in relief (each threw less than 15 pitches on Tuesday night), but the likelier option is for Marinaccio to cover multiple innings for the Friars. 

Here are the lineups for the third game in Washington. Let’s discuss.

For the Phillies:

For the Nationals:

Rockies 8, Red Sox 6

Leverage index & box score

Graphics via FanGraphs.

What is it that makes you so handsome?: Troy Johnston, +0.20 WPA

Nails on a chalkboard: Justin Slaten, -0.27 WPA

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The Red Sox probably should’ve swept the lowly Colorado Rockies (though they’re pretty close to the same category these days). They should’ve at least won the series.

They couldn’t even do that.

Ranger Suárez struck out nine batters in six innings with solid run support. Instead of returning home to Fenway this weekend with a 4-2 record on the road trip thanks to series wins in Seattle and Colorado, Boston watched a 6-3 lead turn into an 8-6 loss in the final three innings Wednesday afternoon in a second embarrassing defeat this week. 

Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday’s loss. 

THANK YOU, COORS FIELD

The emphasis of the “Coors Field effect” should not take away from hitters who made a living there in the better Colorado days of yesteryear. Don’t diminish the accolades of great hitters in Larry Walker and Todd Helton to name a few. 

With that said, there’s no doubt the ballpark can reward the below-average bat on a visit to Denver. Andrew Monasterio and Connor Wong graciously accepted that gift with home runs each in the matinee contest. For reference, Monasterio’s solo shot marked just his third long ball of the season while Wong homered for the first time since 2024. 

That’s until the Rockies flipped the script in rough fashion for Boston over the final few innings. 

KEEP AN EYE ON DURBIN
The Red Sox third baseman left the game with a left fifth finger subluxation after diving into first base attempting to beat out an infield hit. Romy Gonzalez is close to a return, but let’s see what the Red Sox infield looks like for the rest of the month depending on Durbin’s status upon the return to Boston.

CAN YOU DO SOMETHING AGAINST THE YANKEES? 

The Red Sox are 1-4 against the Yankees and start the four-game set against New York with another installment of Connelly Early vs. Cam Schlittler. 

The teams also still get the national spotlight, whether these teams are worthy or not, with a 1:10 p.m. start on Saturday on ABC (basically an ESPN game but cool to say) and round out the weekend on Sunday Night Baseball on NBC.

Derek Hill delivers thrilling homer as Phillies keep comeback magic going originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Derek Hill was down to the Phillies’ final strike.

Again.

One night after the Phillies scored eight runs with two outs in the ninth inning, Hill stepped in as a pinch-hitter against left-hander Richard Lovelady and delivered another late jolt.

Kyle Schwarber, out of the starting lineup with lower back tightness, came off the bench with two outs and worked a walk to keep the inning alive.

Then Hill took over.

He drove Lovelady’s pitch into the first row above the high wall in right field for a go-ahead two-run homer, then leaped in celebration between second and third base when he saw it had enough distance.

Unbelievable.

The Phillies acquired Hill in a trade to help against left-handed pitching, a matchup their right-handed hitters have struggled with all season.

He gave them exactly that in Philadelphia’s exciting 5-4 win on Wednesday.

It was another wild turn in a series that has already produced one of the Phillies’ most improbable wins of the season.

The Phillies had trailed early after Aaron Nola allowed solo homers in the first and second innings. Luis García Jr. took Nola deep six pitches into the game. Washington added another solo shot three pitches into the second.

But the Phillies answered in the fourth.

Brandon Marsh led off with a single. Alec Bohm reached on a fielding error after fouling a ball off his foot earlier in the at-bat and limping down the line.

Bryson Stott, coming off a three-hit game, got ahead 2-1 and turned on a low-and-in slider from Miles Mikolas. His 106.2 mph drive sailed over the head of Nationals right fielder James Wood, bringing Marsh home.

J.T. Realmuto followed with a sacrifice fly to score Bohm and tie the game.

Rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr. then jumped on Mikolas’ first pitch and lined a run-scoring single through the middle, giving the Phillies their first lead.

That type of inning has become a familiar sight during the Phillies’ turnaround. During their 9-19 start, they struggled to stack baserunners. Lately, they have found ways to build innings and keep them moving.

Nola did not dominate, but he gave the Phillies five innings and two runs.

He allowed hard contact. Of the 13 balls put in play against him, 54 percent were hit at least 95 mph. His average exit velocity allowed was 95 mph.

Still, he found enough outs.

Nola struck out four hitters with his knuckle curve and another with his changeup. He threw only one slider, a pitch he has begun mixing in over his last few starts.

The four-seam fastball remains his biggest concern. It entered the night tied for the worst pitch in baseball by Statcast run value at minus-13. Opponents were hitting .406 and slugging .828 against it.

But five innings and two runs kept the Phillies in the game.

Then former Phillies prospect Curtis Mead changed it.

With a runner on in the sixth, Don Mattingly turned to Jonathan Bowlan, who had dominated right-handed hitters all season. Entering the night, righties were slashing .167/.167/.214 against him with one extra-base hit.

Bowlan left a sweeper up.

Mead sent it into the left-field seats for his second homer in three games during the series, putting Washington back in front.

For a while, it appeared that swing would hold up.

Then Schwarber came off the bench.

Then Hill got his chance.

Lovelady was making his third consecutive relief appearance. Hill entered to pinch-hit against the lefty, the precise situation the Phillies had in mind when they brought him in.

With the count down to its final strike, Hill did not miss.

His homer gave the Phillies another late-game breakthrough, one night after the club turned an 8-6 ninth-inning deficit into a 14-9 win.